When Zichan asked Li Ran about the New Deal, Li Ran did not hesitate for a moment and directly put forward an idea that he had already thought about well before.
"The reason why the common people are not very active is that they do not know the effectiveness of reclaiming wasteland."
"After all, the new policy implemented by the doctor is an unprecedented initiative. They are born as people and have no experience to draw from. Therefore, what they are worried about is that if they open up wasteland this year, there will be no guarantee of drought or flood. If they continue to rely on their old masters and are squeezed even harder by the old masters, then they will have no choice but to die."
"But what if we can guarantee that these common people will not be destitute within two years and will still have food rations to survive?"
Li Ran's words immediately aroused Zichan's deep thought.
This is indeed the current situation.
The most fundamental reason why it is difficult to mobilize the enthusiasm of the people at the bottom is that they are worried that they will starve to death during the lean period or natural disasters, which will directly lead to the failure to collect the New Year's rations.
After all, although they used to work as tenants for the rich and powerful, they were still able to have some food rations to ensure the harvest in times of drought and floods, and at least they could barely make ends meet.
Now you are asking them to take responsibility for their own profits and losses and cultivate wasteland on their own. Even though the policy sounds good and good, it actually does not solve any of their difficulties. So how many people are willing to do this kind of high-risk work?
Thinking of this, Zichan immediately raised his head and looked at Li Ran with a different look.
"Then... what does Ziming have to say?"
He knew that since Li Ran said this, he must have some opinions.
At this time, Li Ran no longer hid it, but said bluntly:
"If you want to mobilize the common people to actively reclaim wasteland, you may want to use the method of money!"
"Zi Qian?"
Zichan frowned, looking a little confused.
At this time, Li Ran continued to explain:
"The so-called money, for merchants, is a method of raising money with money! However, now it is put here, in short, it means that we can find ways to lend money to the people to ensure their basic needs."
Obviously, what Li Ran was talking about was what later generations called "agricultural loans."
"Lending grain, rice and property to the common people?"
"What does this mean?"
Hearing this, Zichan was confused.
From ancient times to the present, I have never heard of an official lending food, rice, or property to the common people. The common people pay taxes to contribute to the national treasury. These are all things that are natural and right. If it is worse, many doomsday kings will postpone taxes for decades!
Why should officials lend money and food to the common people? If we do this, wouldn’t this put the cart before the horse?
"Doctor, don't be impatient, just listen to what I have to say."
Li Ran paused, then raised his hands and said slowly:
"If the officials directly distribute money to the people, it would be very difficult for us, given the national strength of the Zheng State, to do this. Furthermore, if the government treasury is used, the officials headed by Feng Duan will inevitably be attacked. common opposition."
"Therefore, I think that the officials can use the financial resources of the Ji clan and other wealthy merchants as the source of the money, and use the state's taxes as the guarantee of the money. This can dispel their concerns and suggest that all merchants and wealthy families can distribute the money to the common people." money."
"In this way, after the Ji clan and other wealthy families have tasted the benefits, they will be able to follow the policy and spare no effort to cooperate with the implementation of the doctor's new policy. By then, there will be official support at the top and support from the wealthy families at the bottom, so the bottom will What else do the common people have to worry about?"
"And if the common people can get support from the wealthy families, and then obtain the rice seeds for cultivating young crops and the title deeds of the land from the officials, then these common people will be able to reclaim the wasteland normally without increasing other costs. "
"By then, even if there is a disaster and these people have no harvest for the whole year, they don't have to worry about becoming refugees directly. As long as they plant again for the next season, they can always make their money back."
The essence of agricultural loans is actually to improve farmers' ability to withstand stress in disguised form, thereby increasing farmers' enthusiasm for production.
At this point, Li Ran is the clearest.
"But... in this case, if the wealthy families want to make a lot of money from their wealth, wouldn't these assets be directly plundered by the wealthy families?"
Zichan is indeed an extremely good politician, although he has never been exposed to "economic" issues. However, just relying on common sense, one can immediately think of one of the very key issues-the redistribution of interests.
After all, if the Ziqian business is all distributed by merchant families like the Ji clan, then even if the money is made, it will only be made by a large or wealthy family. What benefit will this bring to the official family?
If the official family cannot make money, but the people become rich, isn't this "the country is weak but the people are rich"? Once the tail is too big to fall off, it may lead to chaos.
"In fact, I have already thought about this."
"At the beginning of distributing the money, the official can indicate that half of the profits from the money should be turned over to the office to replenish the national treasury. The other quarter should be used as a reserve fund in case the country needs it from time to time."
"After a few years, when the national treasury is replenished and the people gradually settle down, the government can also set an upper limit on the interest rate of its money based on market trends so that it can continue to benefit the people. In addition, it can also prevent A wealthy family only relies on their children’s money to become powerful.”
At the beginning, let the wealthy families try their best to explore. If problems arise during the operation, they can be allowed to make flexible decisions on their own.
To put it bluntly, even if something goes wrong, in the end it will only be a small loss for a large number of wealthy families, and the official family, as its rear area, will not suffer any losses.
When the time is right and Ziqian begins to take shape, the officials will come forward to centrally regulate it, thus directly transforming into a mutually beneficial relationship between the officials and the people.
On the one hand, it can prevent wealthy families from demanding too much from the common people. On the other hand, it can also prevent aristocratic families from becoming too big to lose by relying on their money.
After listening to this, Zichan figured out all the joints before and after, and suddenly realized that this business was indeed a sure profit!
Moreover, it can be said to be profitable for everyone from the government to the merchants and the common people. It is definitely a good idea that is unique in thousands!
Of course, the most important thing is that the risk of sub-money is also relatively controllable.
For ordinary people, the only reason for large-scale insolvency can only be natural disasters.
However, if the country is hit by disasters on all sides and the people have no harvest, the chance of this happening is really very small.
"Caicaicai!"
Zichan was greatly surprised when he thought of this. He said "cai" three times in a row, and his face was full of joy.
But the next moment, he suddenly became cautious again.
The practice of Zi Qian in this era can be described as shocking.
From the officials' offices to the common people, this is the first time.
As mentioned before, in this era where everything has to stick to the rules, the more novel something is, the more puzzled it will be by the world.
"Zi Qian" is obviously the same.
What Zichan is worried about is that if this agenda is proposed in court, it will inevitably encounter strong opposition.
"Above the court, now Dr. Boshi is begging for help from the doctor, and he is also taking advantage of the unsettling factor of Dr. Sihei. Therefore, if the doctor is pushing this matter forward, no one will openly oppose it, at least … There won’t be as much opposition to the New Deal as before.”
Li Ran's actions are definitely not without purpose.
Since he dared to make this suggestion, it must have been carefully considered.
When Zichan heard this, his mind changed and he immediately nodded in agreement.
"The Xuntun League meeting has just ended, and the ranking of the Seven Ministers is a foregone conclusion. If Qiao insists on going his own way, only Zipi, Uncle Zi, and Zi Shi will support Qiao. I understand that the others will have nothing to say."
In the past, Feng Duan, Si Hei and others opposed the New Deal with strong and resolute attitudes.
But now, after the incident between Si Hei and You Chu, after Si Hei had turned against Feng Duan in the court, and after the alliance with Xun Tun, Zi Chan's personal prestige had been gathered, and his position was even more unbreakable.
In this way, it is natural for this matter to be passed in the court.
Then, another question follows:
"However, Zi Ming, in the final analysis, we still need a hero like Ji Shi——>>
[Reading updates are slow to load, there are ads, and chapters are incomplete. Please exit Reading and read again! 】
The big clan is taking the lead, but if you want them to pay for it...I'm afraid it won't be a simple matter..."
Even matters involving money can be passed in the court. But would a wealthy family like the Ji family be willing to contribute this money to the official family?
In other words, are Jishi and other wealthy merchants willing to take this risk?
And this is what Li Ran has to solve next.
Chapter 187 Clan Sacrifice Discussion
The implementation of Zi Qian not only relies on the policies formulated by the officials, but also requires the full support of wealthy families like the Ji clan.
Now in the court, relying solely on Zichan's personal prestige, forcing the matter to pass is not a big problem.
On the contrary, it was the Ji clan.
"Ziming, do you have confidence?"
Zichan is still a little worried. After all, this matter seems to be very simple, but if it is really implemented, the difficulty is really not the slightest.
Furthermore, these merchants are all unable to afford early profits. If you want them to make concessions to the common people first, with the hope of repaying you later, will they really agree? Isn't this a bit too self-deceptive?
"I don't dare to say too much, but I can be roughly 70% sure."
Li Ran didn't dare to hide it, but he still seemed more confident.
"Only 70%?"
"I'm afraid that's not enough..."
Zichan murmured, looking thoughtful for a moment.
Of course he knew that the key to this matter was how to convince wealthy families such as Ji Shi to participate in the operation of Zi Qian.
So although he was thinking about it, he couldn't think of any way to help Li Ran. I can't think of any better reason that would make Li Ran more convincing in the process of lobbying for the sacrifice.
In his hands now, there are only rights. If it is required to force the apportionment, that may also be a way. But after thinking about it again, he felt that since he was a minister in power, if he forced the payment of allotment money and required all merchants to do so, it would not only be counterproductive, but would also inevitably lead to disadvantage. Words of mouth will inevitably be criticized.
"Let Ran handle the matter of lobbying wealthy merchants."
"Although I'm only 70% sure, it's still a lot. Which thing in the world can I be 100% sure about? If so, I'm afraid it won't happen."
Li Ran's actions have always been eccentric and unconventional, so it is impossible to be 100% sure about everything. .c0m
But even so, he was still confident.
What's more, in this matter, he, the "future man", also has a lot of experience to draw from.
So, the two of them rushed back to Zhengyi overnight, because tomorrow was the day of the clan meeting within the Ji clan.
…
In the afternoon of the next day, within the Ji clan, all the clans rushed back from all directions early to participate in the clan meeting.
This was the first clan meeting since Zheng Yi's death, so it naturally seemed very solemn.
In fact, if we follow past practice, there will be a clan meeting within the Ji clan every month.
However, after Li Ran became the head of the Ji family, this unwritten rule gradually changed as Li Ran often traveled to Jin as an envoy and participated in meetings in Guodi.
The current internal clan meeting of the sacrificial clan must be initiated by the head of the family and the head of the family, and the whole clan is summoned to participate in the meeting. The time is uncertain, but once it is held, it means that something big is bound to happen.
This is not difficult to understand.
Because before Li Ran became the head of the Ji clan, the divisions within the Ji clan were relatively serious. Especially when Shu Niu was in office, the internal struggle within the Ji clan was quite fierce, and clan discussions often became a place for them to compete with each other.
Therefore, it is held once a month. Regardless of whether the matter can be resolved or not, it has always been the usual method of putting pressure on the ancestors through clan meetings.
After Li Ran became the head of the Ji family, he and Ji Le managed the Ji family's industry, always following the "no fuss" method.
So not only did they get the full support of the elders of the Yizhan clan. And in fact, due to Ji Le's conscientious work, really difficult problems rarely arise between Ji Clan members and subordinates.
In addition, with Li Ran, the family leader, taking care of the situation, Ji Xian felt relieved. Therefore, clan discussions were no longer an avenue for internal struggle within the Ji clan. Instead, they became a means of internal consultation for the Ji clan and the promotion of business relationships with the clan members. platform.
After all, the industries and businesses controlled by elders of all ethnic groups are different. In some aspects, the results can be better if everyone works together.
This is what later generations called the board of directors.
The clan sacrifice meeting was held this time mainly because Chu State has recently become the leader of the alliance. Zheng State is too close to Chu State and has been suspected by other countries. Qi State, Song State, Cao State, etc. have all begun to exclude people from Zheng’s caravan, especially the caravan of Jishi.
It is not difficult to understand the worries of these countries. After all, once Chu moves north, Zheng will be the first to bear the brunt, and according to Zheng's military strength, it is absolutely impossible to be Chu's opponent. Therefore, every business they do with Zheng Guo is equivalent to one more risk.
Moreover, now all the countries in the Central Plains are wary of Zheng State because Zheng State is too close to Chu State.
"The countries in the north, except for Jin and Lu, are now squeezing out my caravan of sacrifices. Our trade with these countries has been at a standstill for nearly a month. It can be said that we have suffered great losses."
"Qi, Song, Cao, Wei and other countries are the most hateful. If they hadn't relied on me to sacrifice their clans, connect the north and south, and connect the east and west, they would have benefited a lot! But now that Chu has become the leader of the alliance, and because I, Zheng, are in the north of Chu Entering the door. To abandon each other like this is really a treacherous country!"
"Criticism will return to scolding, and anger will return to anger, but there still has to be a way to resolve this matter."
As soon as the clan elder finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Li Ran.
Yes, the main task of the family leader is to solve the problems in the family. Although the decision-making power is in the hands of the family head, the family leader has to come up with corresponding solutions.
Ji Xian also looked at Li Ran with everyone, and said:
"Ziming, what do you think about this matter?"
As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.
Li Ran had not understood this sentence before, but now he has a deep understanding of it.
However, despite this, he couldn't help but murmur: These old men have no other skills, but the ability to spread their hands is really stupid!
Your trade with other countries has stopped. Do you still need to discuss such a small matter? In the past, were all the tributes you received from the ministers and officials of various countries in vain?
You still need me to make up your mind on such a simple matter? Everyone is so lazy, right?
"Haha, in my son-in-law's opinion, this matter is simple."
"The reason for the suspension of trade between the various countries and me is simply because they are worried that our country, Zheng, will be coveted by the country of Chu."
"But the trade between countries should be mutually beneficial to both sides. If we lose money, will they make a profit? If I, Jishi, were not at the center of the world to coordinate the north and south and connect the east and west, how could their domestic goods be entrusted to them? With whom? And where will the benefits come from?"
"That's why my son-in-law thinks that this matter can be urgent but not slow, and hard but not soft!"
At this point, Li Ran paused for a moment and then continued speaking.
"As far as my son-in-law knows, the country with which our sacrifice trade is most frequent is the Jin State, followed by the Qin State. As long as these two countries still have normal trade with our sacrifice family, they will suffer losses and it will hardly hurt us. Sacrifice the bones and muscles of the clan.”
"Since Qi, Song, Cao Wei and other countries want to cause trouble, then we Ji clan can't just watch, we can just give them some color."
Obviously, Li Ran's handling of this matter was extremely tough.
You don't want to do business with me, do you?
Okay, then everyone should stop doing business, let’s see who is anxious!
"Oh? What do you mean by this?"
"Huh? What do you want the manager to do?"
All the elders were stunned because they felt a vague sense of oppression from Li Ran's tone.
And this sense of oppression made them feel a little uneasy.
Even Ji Xian couldn't help but frown slightly.
Businessmen are driven by nature to seek profit, and they also take "shun" as their key link. But the logic of Li Ran's so-called "return of favor" is obviously not in line with business ethics.
